Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System for Building Synthetic Cells

All our research focuses on cell-free synthetic biology. This involves bottom-up assembly of synthetic cells, functional and structural analysis of membrane proteins, protein engineering while incorporation of non-canonical amino acids and cell-free metabolic engineering. Currently, besides cell-free protein synthesis, microfluidic devices by microfabrication through soft lithography, development of biocompatible materials, and a general AI are the forefront technologies that drive the faster development of cell-free synthetic biology.

The configuration presented as a protocol establishes a straightforward yet robust system that is well-suited various micro-compartment environments, including the droplet GUVs as our base, that we showed in our representative results. In the future, we will focus on the development of tailored cell-free systems, which enable the assembly and integration of different modular cell mimicry systems towards the ultimate goal of building a minimal cell. To begin, obtain pre-cultured cells and wash them two times with 35 milliliters of pre-chilled S30 Buffer A.Pellet the cells and re-suspend them in S30 Buffer B.For disrupting the cells, transfer the cell suspension to a french press metal disruption chamber and secure it in the hydraulic platform with the safety lock.